7″ iPad Rumors Re-surface As iPad 3 Media Event Gets Closer

It’s not new hearing rumors of an iPad-mini in the works but since the big iPad 3 launch day is getting closer, re-surfacing of such rumors do sound a bit intriguing, making us speculate a 7″ iPad 3 announcement. A report by Apple Insider (viaOLED-Display.net) claims that a leaked document from Samsung’s investment bank has pointed out a 7″ iPad mini which will be introduced in Q3 2012. The leaked official document, which is dated December 2011, has been obtained from “an anonymous user” at Samsung. The report further suggests that Apple is testing flexible AMOLED panels for future iPads.

Quoting from the source:

According to the research note, which discusses the state of AMOLED in the industry, analyst JungHoon Chang predicted Apple will release the third-generation iPad in the first quarter of 2012 and “a new 7-inch product temporarily referred to as the iPad mini” in the third quarter of this year. Chang also appeared to confirm the use of “higher-resolution IPS panels” in the next-generation iPad.

Chang added that Sharp is “trying to produce” IGZO LCD panels for the iPad at its 8G lab, but may not have been successful in mass producing the screens in time for the so-called “iPad 3,” which is expected to be unveiled at an Apple media event next week.

While we all speculate and imagine a smaller screen iPad, we should keep in mind what Steve Jobs said during a conference call in 2010, “The reason we won’t make a 7-inch tablet isn’t because we don’t want to hit that price point, it’s because we think the screen is too small to express the software“.